Heart Ripper

by K. A. Merikan

  “David?” asked Asty, and the sound of her voice so close raised all hairs on the back of his neck.

  David stiffened at first but then peeked out from behind the corridor wall. “Yes?”

  Asty frowned at him and called him over with a gesture of her hand, already rushing to the kitchen. He put his hands in his pockets and walked over there with a bit of stiffness in his joints. Did he leave the condoms somewhere he shouldn’t have?

  “I’ll wash the dishes,” he said, and his chest went cold at the sight of two wine glasses and two bowls in the sink. Did she notice those?

  “David, we need to talk, and you’re gonna tell me the truth,” Asty said, quietly shutting the door.

  “Um… okay.” He tried to stand in a way that would hide the dishes and gave her a nervous smile.

  Asty took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and exhaled. “David, I saw you two kissing. In the mirror.”

  “Don’t tell Hunter,” were the first words that spilled out of David’s mouth, and he clenched the insides of his pockets in panic. What if Hunter not only disapproved of it, but also discouraged Raja from being with David?

  “I won’t,” said Asty quickly, but it wasn’t the end of it. “He stayed over all night, didn’t he?” she asked, drilling her gaze into David.

  David sucked his lips in. The ground was burning under his feet all too fast, and Asty knowing about him so suddenly was too much to bear. “Y-yes,” he managed to choke out. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have invited him, I know.”

  She rubbed her face and moaned. “Please, tell me you didn’t do it in our bed.”

  “No!” His eyes went wide. “No, no, no, no! It’s nothing like that! I swear!” His heart started pounding, and he poured himself a glass of water, spilling a third of it before it could even reach his mouth.

  Asty threw her head back. “You could have just told me you wanted to invite someone over. We’d have left the baby with my dad.”

  “I didn’t know. I wasn’t planning it. It happened suddenly. And I didn’t neglect Bell, I checked on him all the time.” His chest was becoming heavy with guilt.

  Asty poured herself some juice and drank a few sips. “I know. I’m just worried that Raja’s confusing you. Hunter’s looking for a girlfriend for you... which is kinda stupid anyway, if you ask me, but we had no idea.”

  David looked at his toes. “I really like Raja,” he muttered. Asty was only a year older than him, yet she seemed so much more of an adult. Even with the crazy makeup and clothes. She owned a house with Hunter, and had a baby, and even a blog about Goth parenting that was starting to bring some revenue. She had everything covered while he felt so lost.

  Asty patted his cheek. “Oh, sweetie... that’s great. I’m happy you can start living your life now that you’re not dependent on your parents.”

  “I think I’m gay.” There. He said it out loud. Even if ‘out loud’ was actually pretty quiet. It was like a weight off his chest, yet he was still trembling from the emotion of the confession.

  Asty’s hand closed around his. “I know this is hard for you, but whatever happens, you will find help here. You really should talk to Hunter about this. He’s your brother.”

  “I’ll try to find a good moment, but he’s been set on this girlfriend thing. I don’t want to disappoint him.” David grabbed her hand tight.

  Asty sighed. “He can be a hothead sometimes, but you know he’s a good guy. He will understand, even if it might shock him at first.”

  “Fuck, I’m dying for more coffee,” Hunter moaned when he walked in, and David plastered on a fake smile to hide his nerves.

  “I can make you one,” he said quickly.

  Hunter squinted at David. “That’s… nice.”

  Asty pressed a kiss to his jaw and petted Bell’s head where it rested against his daddy’s chest. “Okay guys, I’m gonna take a shower. See you in half an hour,” she said and glanced at David before leaving the kitchen.

  Hunter leaned back against the counter and brushed his thumb over his chin. He seemed unusually thoughtful, so David rushed to the coffee machine, eager to do something with his hands.

  “You know Raja’s gay, right?” asked Hunter in the end.

  David swallowed. “That’s fine. He’s great. It’s Mom who hates gay people, not me. I’m actually looking at different church options. Less… uh… restrictive.”

  Hunter seemed to have lost the plot and ended up kissing Bell’s head before speaking. “I mean... yeah, good for you. I think loosening up a bit won't hurt you. But that’s not what I wanted to say.”

  “Oh?” David turned his back on Hunter as he poured him coffee, hoping he’d be less flustered by the time he needed to face him.

  “I just thought that you being shirtless with him around... it’s kind of weird. He might get the wrong idea.”

  After these words, at least if David blushed it would be understandable. “Wrong idea?” He put the coffee in front of Hunter, feeling a desperate need to cover up, as if his nipples were offending the world and attracting predators.

  Hunter shifted uncomfortably as he lulled the baby in his arms. “You’re my brother, and I don’t want him to perv on you.”

  David fought back a smile. “You think he’d perv on me? You think that’s why he stuck around so long?” He snorted in the end, unable to hold it back.

  Hunter stared, but then he broke into a wide smile. “You are loosening up! You have no idea how happy that makes me! You might not see it, but you seem so much happier since you moved out of Mom and Dad’s.”

  David dared to look Hunter in the eye, the truth on the tip of his tongue. “I do? How so? I definitely like earning my own money and all that.”

  Hunter nodded. “It’s really not healthy to stay at home too long if you have a chance to become independent.”

  David bit his lip. “I don’t want to be a leech, but since you’re saying that… if something changed in my life, and I needed to stay here a bit longer, would that be an option? I don’t earn a lot, but I could start paying a bit of rent…” Now that he’d been away from his old home, David couldn’t see himself going back there and being treated like a child again. And if he came out, would his parents even want him back? Would his mom still take her time teaching him new recipes over the phone?

  Hunter stepped closer and picked up the coffee. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  David’s skin broke out in goose bumps, but Hunter spoke before he could embarrass himself.

  “You’ve met a girl, haven’t you? Is she not Catholic, or something?”

  David’s throat went dry. If he pretended there was a girl, Hunter would make it his job to meet her, so David couldn’t say that. And despite coming out being somewhere in David’s throat, it just didn’t seem to be able to pass his lips.

  “N-no. But just if there was someone in the future, or if something changed… I need to know I’d have somewhere to live.”

  Hunter stepped closer and patted David’s shoulder. “That’s what family’s for, right? We support each other, and I’m not losing contact with you after Mom and Dad kept us apart for so many years.”

  “Thank you.” David released a long breath. Coming out would have to wait.

  Chapter 16

  The day of the vote came quicker than Raja would have liked, and he could still feel David’s kisses on his skin after the amazing night they spent together. Technically, he could lie to Blade and claim he’d fucked David. Even go as far as buying a pair of briefs and pretending they were David’s, but now the whole idea of the bet itself felt rotten. There was a certain sanctity to bets, and he wouldn’t cheat just to get his way. On top of that, he didn’t even want Blade to think he’d gone through with the deed.

  He’d gone to Hunter’s house thinking he’d easily seduce David, provide the proof he needed, and have some fun on top of that, but somehow the last twenty-four hours spun in a completely different direction. He’d been horrified when he realized the
baby was there, and they hadn’t fucked in the end, but he’d really enjoyed himself. Once David loosened up, he was a joy to be around, and his honesty was yet another blow to Raja’s initial plan. How could he just lie to someone so kind and so eager to make him happy? It left a bad taste in his mouth, even though David had freaked Raja out in the morning, when he called him his boyfriend.

  Thankfully, Hunter and Asty chose the right moment to come in, and their presence saved Raja from the necessity of making a declaration himself. David had to understand sex didn’t equal commitment, but it wasn’t the right time yet.

  When he parked his bike in front of the service station, with the summer sun pouring down on his head, the person he needed to talk to was right there, greeting him with a smile as he smoked his cigarette, sitting on a rusty lawnmower someone left there for no reason.

  “The prez himself!” Blade gave him a small wave.

  Raja growled on the inside, but as he parked the bike underneath the awning, he called Bade over with a gesture. “There’s something we need to talk about.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Blade smirked, but his eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. “How’d it go?”

  Raja crossed his arms on his chest, knowing he needed to be as stern as possible. “I decided not to do it. If you have beef with Hunter, you need to confront him, but we shouldn’t pull a civilian into this. David’s practically an altar boy. It doesn’t feel right to lie to him to get into his pants.”

  Blade stilled and pursed his lips. “You pussied out? Altar boy? He has no boyfriend, does he? Aren’t gay bitches fair game when they’re single?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not the kind of guy he needs in his life. I’m not gonna traumatize him over a stupid drunken bet someone made because David’s brother’s being a douche. I could have done it last night, but I’m not gonna.” Raja didn’t really see Hunter acting like a dick either, but he couldn’t know what was happening behind his back. In any case, he wasn’t a messenger to deliver petty revenge on Blade’s behalf.

  Blade wrapped his arms around his chest. The smell of his sweat made Raja even angrier about the bet than he’d been before. “The boy’s not a baby. He can make his own choices. Fuck that then. You lose.”

  “And what is that supposed to mean?”

  “You don’t get my vote.”

  Raja smirked, but he could already feel his muscles harden. “It’s a pretty weak vote if it relies on whether I fuck an eighteen-year-old kid or not. Shouldn’t you be doing what you think is best for the club anyway?”

  “I was willing to be swayed if my prez has balls.” Blade sneered at him.

  “If you value balls so much, maybe show some and talk to Hunter instead of sending me to fuck his little brother.”

  “Maybe I will!” Blade hissed and pushed Raja’s chest. “And I’ll vote for what I think is best for this club. It’s already hard to keep our heads above water as is, without new operations underway!”

  Raja snorted. “What did you expect when you joined? Free food and pretty hangarounds fanning you as you lie in your bed? The club’s about brotherhood, but it’s also a business, and in this equation, you are an investor who doesn’t get to just back away when there’s risk.”

  He noticed Smurf come out of the service station and watch them with a dubious expression. “You two all right? Are we ready to vote?”

  Blade kicked a can to the side and headed for the door. “Ready.”

  Raja smiled as if nothing had happened, even though the conversation left him disturbed. Blade had always been the closest to him out of all the guys, so why was he not giving Raja’s plan a chance? “Yes, we can all gather inside.”

  Despite their friendship getting on a rocky path, the confrontation with Blade gave Raja the motivation to give the guys one more pep talk. He also threw in an offer for a party with strippers dressed up as nurses serving vodka in syringes if they voted the drug deal through, just to put them into the right mindset. That idea seemed to finally sway Smurf to his side, and the vote was a success despite Blade, the stubborn goat, voting against him. The man was such a sore loser.

  After yet another debate about the logistics of the deal, it was time to have a few shots, and those only made Raja’s ego dizzy with the victory. He looked around at his brothers, and he couldn’t help the feeling that they were all now on a good path that, while not without challenges, would help them get out of this post-patchover slump.

  With Blade having excused himself and leaving the party early, the mood became much more relaxed in the clubhouse. As the rest of them talked, Raja’s mind kept drifting back to David. Somehow, now that the bet was off, Raja wanted him even more. He might fuck David’s ass or not, but it wouldn’t happen due to a bet but because they both felt like it. David would not betray his trust and talk to anyone about Raja’s secrets, and Raja wouldn’t betray David either. They’d both shared things with each other only, and it created a bond Raja couldn’t quite grasp yet.

  His fingers mindlessly fiddled with his phone as Pete was busy explaining to Smurf and Spin how insurance companies sucked US citizens dry. And just as Raja anticipated, there was a text from David waiting for him.

  [My cactus sprouted flowers!] read the text, which also included a selfie of a proudly smiling David with the plant on his head in a tiny blue pot.

  Raja smiled. That guy was too cute for his own good. Such easy prey, too.

  The thought was a sobering one, but at least with the bet out of the way, Raja’s conscience was clear, so he wrote back.

  [That’s impressive. I’m very happy to see you and your cactus, if you get my drift...] Yes, it was a bit lame, but he couldn’t help himself and waited to see what David would make out of the text.

  Even seeing on the screen that David was writing had Raja’s skin prickle with excitement.

  [Are you trying to say my penis has spikes in it? Ugh…]

  [Even if it had, they couldn’t deter me.] wrote back Raja.

  [It wouldn’t be very safe though… ;) What are you up to?]

  Raja leaned back, giddy to tell someone about his success. He couldn’t give David any details, of course, but it would be nice to share something. [Having a good day so far. My plans at work are taking shape.]

  [! You have to tell me all about it. Will you be in Detroit again next week?]

  [Yes. Wanna do something?] asked Raja, chewing on his lip when David took two seconds before starting to write. They could meet up over the weekend. Maybe David would agree to visit Raja here? He did seem enthusiastic when Raja told him about the trip to California.

  [Of course! I want to take a ride on your bike. Is that possible, or is it against biker code? Hunter took me on his, but it’s not the same.]

  Raja bit back a laugh not to alarm his friends, who were still elbow-deep in Pete’s next conspiracy theory. [It’s my bike. I can ride with anyone I want. I bet you’ll enjoy sitting against my back, with the engine throbbing against your thighs.]

  [With you between my legs…]

  Choir boy was coming out of his shell.

  [You want to fuck on the bike?] asked Raja, intrigued. It could work, technically, but it wouldn’t be comfortable.

  [I was just trying to be sexy! Gah!]

  Raja could picture David, getting all flustered and worked up over this.

  [You’re still very sexy. One day, once you’re broken in the way you need to, I’m gonna fold you over my bike and fuck your sweet pale ass.] he promised, getting slightly hot under the collar himself.

  [How do I ‘need to’ be broken in…?]

  Raja shifted on the couch, wondering if David was flirting with him or genuinely asking. [I need to fuck you long and hard a few times.]

  [And you’ll do that?]

  As if that question even needed to be asked. Raja would do it with pleasure, show David just how much his tight little ass could take. Raja remembered how eagerly David responded to spanking, and couldn’t wait to do it again.

  He excused
himself and rushed outside. It was dark already, but with his cell phone on, he could see just enough of the ground to safely walk to the back of the clubhouse where no one would see him. [I’m gonna spread you open and drill my cock inside you as many times as you want.] he wrote.

  [I’ve been fantasizing about it today at the shop, and I had to make a short err… break. I can hardly think about anything else but you.]

  Raja chewed on his lower lip and watched the message as heat filled his cock, making it strain for release. His mind flooded with images of David sneaking into the backroom of the flower shop and furiously jerking off, only to spray his sperm all over the wall. It was too fucking sexy.

  He quickly dialed David’s number and put the cool phone against his ear.

  “Oh… oh hey,” David uttered, and Raja could almost feel the warmth of his breath on his cheek. Fuck, he wanted to feel it again soon. To see David struggle with taking a cock down his throat but still want more.

  “What did you think about when you took your break?” answered Raja, already squeezing himself through his jeans as he listened to the trembling breath on the other side of the line.

  “I imagined you could come in through the door any minute. There were so many customers today. If you sneaked in to the restroom with me, we’d have to be really quiet.” David’s breath got heavier. “You’d slide my jeans down and press your hard cock against my buttocks.”

  Raja groaned and unzipped his pants, almost dropping the phone. “Fuck. I’d have to keep my hand on your dirty mouth as I fuck you,” he said and got to his toes when he grabbed his cock in a steady grip.

  “You would. You could even push your fingers into my mouth to keep me quiet. I’d let you slide your cock in, and you could have me however you liked.” David’s whisper was so arousing Raja wanted to be there right now and do exactly what David said.

  “Shit, babe,” uttered Raja, swirling his thumb over the head of his cock as he tuned in to David’s soft voice. It sent shivers over his ear, and they spread all over the side of Raja’s head where the phone touched it. “That’s so fucking shameless.”